Gas lantern



M. R. M LAMB Aug. 16, 1966 GAS LANTERN Filed June 8, 1964 INVENTOR MARION R. McLAMB ATTORNEY r 3,267,277 Ice Patented August 16, 1966 3,267,277 GAS LANTERN Marian R. McLamh, Rt). Box 262, Greenviiie, N.C. Filed June 8, 1964, Set. Nu. 373,406 7 Claims. (Ci. 2426} This invention pertains to lanterns, and more particularly to lanterns employing a gas flame. While my lantern is devised primarily for use under water, as in the spearing of flounder, frogging, crabbing, etc., the sportsman will find it of general application about a camp.

Sportsmen have found submarine lanterns highly desirable in harpooning or gigging fish at night. Since the flounder is known to dally in the shallow water close to shore, this fish has been an easy catch for the sportsman wading along the shore and equipped with a lantern in one hand and a gig in the other. In the past, however, the aforementioned technique has suffered for lack of an economically operating submarine lantern sufficiently brilliant to clearly reveal, while temporarily blinding, the prey.

With the foregoing in mind, it is the primary object of the present invention to provide a self-contained submarine gas lantern of marked light emitting capacity and economy of operation.

Another object of this invention is to provide a lantern of the type aforementioned wherein the blind spot or shadow cast by the base of the lantern is minimize-d.

A further object of this invention is to provide a lantern of the type aforementioned wherein the gas for the lantern is supplied from a bottle of liquid propane mounted on the lantern.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a lantern of the type aforementioned which is simple in construction, easily maintained, relatively inexpensive to manufacture, eflicient in operation, and which has a long operational life.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description of the invention to follow.

With the foregoing objects in mind, the invention consists of the combination and arrangement of parts as will be described more fully hereinafter and pointed out in the claims, it being understood that changes in the shape, size and dimensions of the specific elements of structure shown and described may be made within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of my invention.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, and in which like numerals of reference indicate similar parts in the several views:

FIGURE 1 is an elevational view, a portion of the vent flue being broken away to show the interior construction;

FIGURE 2 is a view similar to FIGURE 1, showing on a reduced scale, the illumination unit of the lantern immersed, as by a sportsman in search of flounder;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary detail showing the connection of the glass shade to one of the end plates; and

FIGURE 4 is a plan view depicting the structure of the clamp for stabilizing the propane container.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, reference numeral designates my lantern in its entirety. The lantern includes a gas burner having a mantle 11 disposed within a barrel-shaped transparent shade 12, which shade in turn is clamped between upper and lower end plates 13, 14. The shade is preferably formed of Pyrex, or material of similar immunity to sudden temperature change. Each end plate is formed with a circular groove 15 bearing a sealing ring 16 against which the shade abuts. Plates 13 and 14 are shown drawn into position to clamp the shade by means of a set of rods 17, each rod passing through the upper plate and being anchored at its lower end to the lower plate. The upper ends of the rods are threaded at 18 and project through openings in the upper plate for receiving threaded clamping elements 19 thereon.

The upper plate is formed with a generally central opening and a pipe 20 is fixed about said opening and serves as a flue for conducting the hot exhaust gases from said burner to a point above the surface of the water. Lower plate 14 also is provided with an opening about which is secured the lower horizontally disposed end 21 of a vertical air inlet pipe 22. The mode of connecting the flue pipe and the air inlet pipe to the respective plates preferably is by welding. The length of flue pipe 20 generally should be such that when it is suspended from its upper end, as by a bail, with the burner just above the ankles, the arm will be comfortably straight, and the upper ends of both pipes 2d and 22 reasonably well above the water. Thus, for use in gigging flounder, the length of the flue and air inlet pipes would depend upon whether the sportsman is of short, tall, or medium stature. A length of 30 inches for flue pipe 20 will be found satisfactory for most people. Where the lantern is to be merely hung overboard from a boat, the length of the chimney and air inlet should vary with the height of the deck, the roughness of the water, etc.

A gas supply pipe 23 leads to burner 11. The lower end portion of this pipe runs centrally in the flue pipe for about half the length of the latter, then angles off at 24 through an opening formed in the flue pipe, and terminates in an outside stub portion 25 running parallel with flue pipe 20. Angular portion 24 of the gas supply pipe is sealed, as by solder, to the flue pipe at the point where it emerges from the latter. The upper end of outside stub section 25 is flanged, for a purpose to be assigned.

A capsule in the form of a cylindrical metal bottle 26 containing liquid propane is positioned parallel with stub portion 25 of the gas supply pipe. A cap 27 is fitted to the upper end of the bottle. A short conduit 28, under control of a valve 29 in cap 27 leads from the cap and has a down-turned end portion 30 in axial alignment with short portion 25 of pipe 23. End portion 30 has joined thereto a short tubular section 31, the upper end of which bears exterior threads 31, and the lower end of which is bevelled to be received in the flange-d upper end of portion 25, the lower end portion being threaded adjacent said bevel. An interiorly threaded ring device 32 engages the threads adjacent bevelled end of section 31, and ring 32 includes a flange 33, engaging beneath the flanged upper end of stub portion 25 of pipe 23 for establishing a tight connection therebetween, all in a conventional manner. Between its threaded and bevelled end, section 31 is formed with one or more small openings 34 spaced axially thereof. A sleeve 35 is disposed on section 31, the sleeve having interior threads at the upper end thereof engaging the upper threads of section 31, and being adjustable upon rotation thereof to move axially along openings 34 to thus regulate the ratio of air aspirated and mixed with the propane gas traveling down pipe 23.

Bottle 26 when charged with liquid propane is rather heavy. I therefore provide a clamp 36 for stabilizing and supporting the gas bottle against rough handling of the lantern. This means is illustrated as being a sheet metal clip having two cooperating pairs of semi-cylindrical grip portions 37 and 38. The inner pair of grip portions is designed to encompass the flue pipe, and the outer pair of grip portions is to receive and retain the bottle 26. A

' bolt 39 passes through the clip between the two grip portions, and tightening of the bolt will at once tighten the grip of the clip upon both the bottle and the flue pipe. Clip 36 may be formed with interned lugs 40 on the lower edge of its bottle gripping portions for supporting the bottle against slippage downwardly. In replacing bottle 26, first clip 36 will be loosened and lowered to make room for removing the empty bottle, the release of the bottle being accomplished simply by unscrewing the bottle from cap 27. The new or full bottle is then screwed onto cap 27, whereupon the clip may be slid upwardly into proper position, and so secured by tightening bolt 39. It has been found that an ordinary replacement bottle of propane, which may be the same as those currently available for soldering torches, will supply ample fuel to burner 11 to provide brilliant light for 80 hours, at a cost of approximately 1% cents per hour. Such efliciency and convenience is not possible with oil, candle, or battery operated lanterns.

Since in its primary use the present invention will be carried in suspended position, as by a bail 41 at its upper end to be held in the hand of the sportsman, I provide means 42 at the upper end of the flue pipe for deflecting the exhaust gases from the grip area of the bail. This means consists of two sheet metal cones 43 held in overlying, spaced relation by a pair of short strips 44 extending therebetween. The lowermost cone is secured by a second pair of strips 45 to a collar 46, which latter is in turn fixed to the upper end of the flue pipe by screws 47. The bail is formed of a section of heavy wire, bent into the shape shown, with its ends passing through collar 46 and the upper end of the flue pipe. It is feasible, of course, to carry the present lantern by a shoulder strap looped under the bight of bail 41.

As heretofore indicated, burner 11 is in a water tight compartment defined by the shade 12 and the end plates 13, 14, and for the purpose of inserting a match, straw or the like to ignite the burner, I provide a threaded opening in the lower plate 14, which opening is normally sealed by a threaded plug having a finger grip portion 48. Finger grip portion 48, may be of any conventional design, but I have illustrated same in the forme of a spike projecting on the order of three inches below horizontal portion 21 of the air inlet pipe. In this way the lantern, either lighted or unlighted, may stood up on the shore or elsewhere and so maintained by pushing spike 48 down into the ground until portion 21 of the air inlet pipe solidly engages the same. It is entirely feasible to press the spike into the ground by gripping and pressing downwardly on the flue pipe 20, or by pressing on the upper plate 13 with the foot. I

In most lanterns the candle or other burner rests upon the bottom of the lantern, and the bottom of the lantern casts considerable shadow in the area beneath the lantern. By mounting my burner from the upper plate, this shadow is greatly reduced. Further, since the drag of the water on the present lantern as the sportsman wades along will tend to tilt the lantern, the full illumination is virtually at the feet of the sportsman.

The present lantern is designed to be positioned in the water normally about as shown in FIGURE 2. The exact floating position and stability is determined, in the main, by the weight of the plates 13 and 14 and more especially of the lower plate. In turn this depends upon its thickness and the density of the material of which plate 14 is composed. Plate 14 thus serves both as a clamping plate and as ballast. It is contemplated that the present lantern will be available with lower plates of different weights, to meet the floating position required by sportsmen of different heights, as well as to correspond with the weights of the metals used for the various parts.

The lantern may be made of any desired metal, or even of plastic suited to the conditions to be encountered. Bronze, aluminum, copper, Monel and stainless steel are highly satisfactory on many points; but the particular metal must be selected with discretion, especially with reference to whether it will stand up against salt water, etc. For salt water, bronze, Monel and stainless steel are recommended.

Having thus described the nature of my invention and the presently preferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood that various modifications may be resorted to within the scope of the invention as defined in the ap pended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A lantern of the kind described comprising a tubular transparent shade, upper and lower end plates at the ends of said shade and means retaining said plates in sealed relation to said shade, each of said plates having an opening therethrough, a vertical flue pipe secured to the upper plate about the opening therein, an air inlet pipe including a body portion parallel and substantially coextensive with said flue pipe and a horizontal lower portion fixed about the opening in said lower plate, a gas supply pipe includ ing a portion within said flue pipe and terminating at its lower end in a burner Within said shade, the upper end portion of said gas supply pipe extending through the wall of said flue pipe and terminating in an outside stub portion, a bottle charged with liquid propane positioned parallel with said two first-mentioned pipes, clamp means extending about said flue pipe and including curved grip means for engagement with said bottle, said bottle including a valved cap and a conduit interconnecting said cap and the free end of said stub portion of the gas supply pipe.

2. The lantern as defined in claim 1, wherein said shade is in the shape of a barrel and is immune to sudden heat changes, and said means retaining said plates in sealed relation to said shade includes a set of tie rods each passing through one of said plates and anchored in the other, the opposite end of each of said rods including a threaded portion projecting through the other plate and receiving a nut element thereon.

3. The lantern as defined in claim 1 wherein said conduit is formed with one or more openings spaced axially thereof, and a sleeve is provided on said conduit for axial adjustment over said openings for varying the ratio of air aspirated by the gas enroute to said burner.

4. The lantern as defined in claim 1 wherein said lower plate is provided with a second opening for insertion of a match for igniting said burner, and a removable closure plug is provided for closing said last-mentioned opening.

5. The lantern as defined in claim 4 wherein said closure plug includes manipulable finger grip means for removal of said plug, said grip means being in the form of a spike for insertion into the ground to sustain the lantern in vertical position.

6. A lantern of the type described comprising structure defining a closed compartment, said structure including a transparent wall portion, a vertically disposed flue pipe connected to said structure and communicating with said compartment, an air inlet pipe including a portion fixed to the under portion of said structure and communicating with said compartment and a vertical portion extending substantially the length of said flue pipe, a gas supply pipe including a lower portion within and running down said flue pipe and terminating in a burner within said compartment, said gas supply pipe extending through the wall of said flue pipe and terminating in an outside stub portion, a bottle charged with propane and positioned and a bail is connected to said flue pipe With a grip portion thereof normally above said heat deflector means.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 373,333 11/1897 Brosch 24026 X NORTON ANSHER, Primary Examiner. 

1. A LANTERN OF THE KIND DESCRIBED COMPRISIING A TUBULAR TRANSPARENT SHADE, UPPER AND LOWER END PLATES AT THE ENDS OF SAID SHADE AND MEANS RETAINING SAID PLATES IN SEALED RELATION TO SAID SHADE, EACH OF SAID PLATES HAVING AN OPENING THERETHROUGH, A VERTICAL FLUE PIPE SECURED TO THE UPPER PLATE ABOUT THE OPENING THEREIN, AN AIR INLET PIPE INCLUDING A BODY PORITON PARALLEL AND SUBSTANTIALLY COEXTENSIVE WITH SAID FLUE PIPE AND A HORIZONTAL LOWER PORTION FIXED ABOUT THE OPENING IN SAID LOWER PLATE, A GAS SUPPLY PIPE INCLUDING A PORTION WITHIN SAID FLUE PIPE AND TERMINATING AT ITS LOWER END IN A BURNER WITHIN SAID SHADE, THE UPPER END PORTION OF SAID GAS SUPPLY PIPE EXTENDING THROUGH THE WALL OF SAID FLUE PIPE AND TERMINATING IN AN OUTSIDE STUB PORTION, A BOTTLE CHARGED WITH LIQUID PROPANE POSITIONED PARALLEL WITH SAID TWO FIRST-MENTIONED PIPES, CLAMP MEANS EXTENDING ABOUT SAID FLUE PIPE AND INCLUDING CURVED GRIP MEANS FOR ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID BOTTLE, SAID BOTTLE INCLUDING A VALVED CAP AND A CONDUIT INTERCONNECTING SAID CAP AND THE FREE END OF SAID STUB PORTION OF THE GAS SUPPLY PIPE. 